Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany

06/17/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 06/18/2026 04:48

German-Polish Prize awarded to Janusz Reiter and the Frankfurt Słubice Cooperation Centre

Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul and his Polish counterpart Radosław Sikorski are presenting the German-Polish Prize to former Ambassador Janusz Reiter and the Frankfurt-Słubice Cooperation Centre at the German-Polish Forum in Berlin today.

Knut Abraham, co-chair of the German-Polish Prize jury, stated the following today (17 June 2026) regarding the jury's decision:

The German-Polish Treaty on Good-Neighbourliness is the cornerstone of our relations and of Poland's success story in the EU and NATO. With Janusz Reiter, we are paying tribute to one of the key architects of the Treaty. The Frankfurt-Słubice Cooperation Centre is a shining example of a particularly committed and innovative institution of German-Polish cooperation in the border region.

About the prize winners:

With this award, the Foreign Ministers are paying tribute to former Ambassador Janusz Reiter for his exceptional lifelong commitment to developing German-Polish relations and for his important role in the political rapprochement between Germany and Poland. Moreover, they are acknowledging his contribution to building mutual trust following German reunification, to furthering Poland's EU integration and to promoting reconciliation between the two countries.

The Foreign Ministers are honouring the Frankfurt-Słubice Cooperation Centre with its exemplary day-to-day work in the European city of Frankfurt-Słubice, in particular the border experiences project, which - as part of the Civic Education Month - brought together over 1000 people on both sides of the Oder River through more than 40 events for the first time in 2025. This was followed up with a European week in May 2026.

Background information:

The German-Polish Prize is awarded by the governments of both countries and is endowed with 20,000 euro. The German-Polish Treaty on Good-Neighbourliness of 17 June 1991 envisages that the Prize should be awarded annually in recognition of special services to German-Polish relations.

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